As I write this, the submarine with five souls on board is missing and time is running out. They have barely a few hours of oxygen left. There has been no communication with the ship since the first two hours after it was launched on Sunday June 18th, 2023. This piece is about that faithful ship and my obsession with it and a connection to the hotel world, both personal and historic.

As a kid I was awestruck and a big fan of the story of the Titanic. I think I was not alone. The world was and still is a curious and active onlooker to such tragedy. Tragic because of the immense loss and because of the unsinkable label that the ship garnered. That nickname all but guaranteed she was doomed from the onset. To sink in the cold North Atlantic off the coast of North America some 400 miles from Newfoundland and 900 miles from Boston was its fate.

Today we face the fact that the loss endures and it’s compounded. Five adventuresome individuals sealed themselves inside a mini-van-sized hunk of composite to descend more than 2 miles underwater to witness the remains of a disaster that claimed more than 1500 lives. Lives of men, women and children on a cold and star-filled night.

My historic connection to the Titanic is a hotel that was part of my region of hotels in eastern Canada. The Fairmont Château Laurier hotel in Ottawa, Canada has a connection to the Titanic. The hotel was commissioned by Charles Melville Hays, the president of the Grand Trunk Railway. Hays was scheduled to return to Ottawa on the Titanic after a business trip to England, but he died in the sinking.

In addition to Hays, the hotel was also supposed to receive a shipment of furniture; the furniture was never delivered, as it sank with the ship. However, a bust of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the former Prime Minister of Canada, was on board the Titanic. The bust was sculpted by Paul Chevré, who survived the sinking. A copy of the bust is now on display in the lobby of the Château Laurier.

As a result of these connections, the Château Laurier is sometimes referred to as the “Titanic Hotel.” The hotel has even hosted a Titanic exhibit in the past.

That night one life among a few hundred others was saved. She was the youngest passenger on that ship and was only 2 months old. Her name was Millvina Dean. She lived a long and quiet life in Southampton, England where she had a career as a secretary. She never married and quietly began to take part in Titanic-related activities after the discovery of the wreck in 1985. She lived in Quebec City in a refugee camp for a year after the sinking . Well, as fate would have it, fast forward to 1999 and she is attending a commemorative ceremony in Quebec City and she is staying at my hotel.

My boss at the time was a thoughtful man, sometimes. He outdid himself that day and he invited me to take my daughter to meet Millvina.

Alyson had just watched the movie Titanic with Leonardo Decaprio for probably the 10th time and was thrilled beyond words to meet such an important and famous person. Millvina lived until 2009 and was 97 years old.

That was a fun and remarkable day.

The Titanic is still an obsession, and it still gives people lessons in life. Safety is paramount, especially at sea, as it is an extremely dangerous and unpredictable place. Technology is not foolproof by any means; ships and submarines are complicated machines that require humans to pilot them and, as we know, we can and do make errors.

We all know the fate of the 5 soles on the submarine in June of 2023. It’s a tragedy and I wish all of them to not only rest in peace but also to be remembered for what they have taught us. Life is precious and risk is part of anything we do, and having an emergency plan is crucial.

The stories of the Titanic and the lost submarine serve as reminders that, whether at sea or in business, we must always be prepared for the unexpected. In the hotel industry, the COVID-19 pandemic was a similar test, revealing the critical importance of resilience and adaptability. Employee retention became a key focus as businesses navigated uncharted waters, much like those brave enough to explore the depths. The lesson is clear: just as exploration demands careful planning and respect for risk, the success of a hotel depends on its ability to support and retain its people through times of uncertainty. Both challenges reinforce the value of preparation and the strength of those who weather the storm.

At Hotel Financial Coach I help hotel leaders and teams with financial leadership coaching, webinars and workshops. Learning and applying the necessary financial leadership skills is the fast track to greater career success and increased personal prosperity. I significantly improve individual and team results with a proven return on investment.

Call or write today and arrange for a complimentary discussion on how you can create a financially engaged leadership team in your hotel.

Contact David at (415) 696-9593.
Email: david@hotelfinancialcoach.com
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